by Paul Bellow
Touch of Wondrous Thieving – (100mp) – Touch a person and steal any item. This is considered an evil act and will result in -10 alignment each time used.
ToG Tip: At level six, you will gain one fifth level spell, and one more spell of each lower level.
I choose Charm of Thought because we were sneaking into the Forbidden Kingdom, and it might come in handy.
“Are you okay, Kali?” Charlotte asked as she crawled onto my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I said. “Going over my new spells. How do you feel?”
“Different,” she said. “Smarter, maybe?”
I smiled.
“That’s good to hear, Charlotte. Are you ready to help me mix these ingredients?”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to do it out here in the wilderness, Kali.”
“Oh?” I glanced over at Bernard and Eric curled up on the ground. “How complicated is it to make?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “But by the fact that it’s been so difficult to gather the ingredients, I assume it will be even more difficult to mix them.”
“Good point,” I said.
I stood and stretched, welcoming the new day.
“Up and at ‘em, boys,” I said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
Eric moaned.
“Five more minutes,” he moaned.
Bernard sat up and yawned.
“Come on, Eric,” he said. “Today is a good day. We’ve vanquished our foes, and we’re on a roll. The rest of this quest should be easy.”
“Don’t say that.” Eric sat up. “By the way, did you level up yesterday?”
Bernard nodded and smiled before glancing up at Sarah.
“We were talking about increasing the size of the party last night,” he said.
“I hate to interrupt,” Charlotte said. “But we have company.”
“Who? What? Where?” I asked.
“Look up,” Charlotte said.
I tilted my head back and saw a dragon pass overhead.
Bernard and Eric both scrambled to their feet.
“Is it Magi Inyontoo?” I asked.
The dragon circled high overhead.
“How would I know?” Eric snapped.
“Calm down,” I said. “We should flee.”
“And live to fight another day,” Bernard added. “I agree.”
The dragon dove toward us. I noticed four figures on its back.
“Hold on,” I said.
“It’s the Four Wizards,” Bernard said.
Wiley, the red dragon, landed nearby with a thud. The wizards climbed off an intricate wicker basket attached to the dragon’s back. As soon as they dismounted, the dragon leaped into the air.
I watched it climb, wishing I had a mount of my own.
How high level were they?
“Greetings adventurers,” Thom said in his cheery voice.
Aaron, Ferris, and Sherlock appeared more serious.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Everything okay?”
“Don’t worry,” Ferris said. “Everything is fine.”
“For now,” Sherlock added.
Thom smiled and nodded his head, blissfully unaware.
Aaron, as usual, looked on in awkward silence.
“We came to check on you,” Ferris said. “Do you have all the necessary items?”
“Yes, we do,” I said, nodding.
“Two other players ambushed us in a graveyard,” Eric said. “But we killed them and took the monkey ghoul brains. We got hit with an alignment penalty even though they attacked first.”
Sherlock nodded solemnly.
“Levels one-one through one-three can be harsh,” he said.
I noticed his white beard looked a foot longer. Thom’s hair had grown as well. All of them looked years older than when we’d seen them before.
“We need help mixing the ingredients,” Sarah said.
“I’ll write up the recipe for you,” Ferris said. “If I remember it correctly. You can find all the equipment and supplies you need in Mednia.”
“That’s helpful,” I said. “Thanks. Any other help? Maybe a staff of fireballs?”
Ferris snickered.
“We have something even better,” he said. “The location of Magi Inyontoo and the cursed Pendant of Visions.”
“He has it personally?” Eric asked. “Where is he?”
“The Forbidden Kingdom,” Sherlock said.
“I just picked up Become Unknowable Humanoid,” I said. “We can sneak in undetected and surprise him.”
Both Bernard and Eric nodded their heads. Wiley made one more pass then landed in a nearby field with a whoosh of its wings.
“Can you give us a ride to Mednia?” I asked.
“No,” Ferris said. “We should’ve have him on this level at all.”
“The times are changing for the better,” Thom said in a chirpy tone.
“Maybe,” Ferris said. “Don’t get your hopes up yet.”
“We’d love to stay and chat,” Sherlock said. “But we need to go.”
“Off to the races,” Thom shouted then pumped his fist.
The other three wizards shook their heads.
“Fare thee well, adventurers,” Ferris said. “May we all meet again under better circumstances.”
“And stop all this talk of another Great War,” Sherlock added.
I turned to Bernard and his eyes widened in terror.
“Thanks again,” I said.
The wizards waved, turned then walked toward Wiley. I watched in awe as they climbed back into the basket before soaring away.
“We need to get one of those,” I said.
Eric nodded.
“What did he mean about another Great War?” Bernard asked. “I’ve heard rumors but nothing definite.”
“A man came down the road talking about it yesterday while you were hunting the rabbits,” Eric said. “We’ll stop it by destroying the pendant. Don’t worry.”
“This game thrives on making a person worry,” Bernard said.
“Come on,” I said. “We can make Mednia by tonight if we leave now and ride hard.”
“Is there any other way to ride?” Bernard asked.
We packed up our horses then took off east.
* * * * *
A few hours after the sun went down, we arrived at Mednia. Bernard led us to an infamous gnome alchemist named Theor.
His adorable shop on the outskirts of the northern half of the city reminded me of why the game was good at drawing me in. After bargaining with him for over two hours, he agreed to mix the ingredients into a somewhat stable compound.
The week we spent waiting passed quickly. Bernard, Eric, and I got to know each other even better, and we finalized our plans.
Sneaking into the Forbidden Kingdom wouldn’t be too difficult with my illusion spell—finding the pendant was the harder part.
On our seventh day of waiting, Theor sent a messenger to beckon us to his shop.
We dropped everything and went to him.
He stood next to a clay jug, at least two feet tall, as we entered. Even though there was a strange, acrid smell that hung in the air, he smiled with pride.
“I’ve done it,” he said. “And the law doesn’t know anything about it.”
“That’s great,” Eric said.
“Make sure you don’t drop it,” Theor said. “It’s a bit more volatile than I’d like, but I couldn’t fix that in your time limit.”
“How volatile?” Bernard asked.
Theor chuckled.
“Volatile enough,” he said. “If you drop it more than a couple feet, you’re going to set off a chain reaction that will take out the entire realms.”
His smile widened.
“We’ll be careful,” I said. “Here’s the rest of your payment.”
I handed him a large bag filled with five hundred gold coins.
“Thanks,” he said. “I hope you three destroy that pendant.”
&
nbsp; “We’re trying out best,” I said.
Eric stepped over to the clay jar.
“I’ll help,” Bernard said, joining him.
“Be careful with it,” I said then followed them outside.
Eric and Bernard struggled to lift it into the back of our new wagon.
* * * * *
Two gloriously boring days later, we arrived in Esterhollow to stock up before entering the Forbidden Kingdom. I wanted to find people to join us.
Evan and Ewen had talked about finding jobs in the recovering coastal city.
Would we run into them? I wondered, as we rode down the main street.
“It’s looking good,” Eric said. “All that talk of another Great War is nonsense.”
Two soldiers stepped in the middle of the road ahead. Eric pulled on the reins, stopping the two horses tied to the front of our wagon.
“Well met,” I said, raising a hand. “We’re here to check on the progress of Esterhollow and see if you need any additional assistance.”
Both soldiers wore purple breastplates with a big, black R painted on them. The one on the left with scruffy red hair stepped forward.
“What’s a bunch of crooks and killers like you want here?” he asked.
“Excuse me?” Eric stood. “Crooks and killers?”
“We’ve heard of your exploits,” the soldier said.
“Yeah? And who are you?” Eric demanded.
“I’m Kiern,” the soldier said. “What’s it to you?”
“Calm down,” I said, putting a hand on Eric’s arm.
“We’ll let Captain Rathgar know you’re here,” Kiern said.
Eric sat down on the bench in front of the wagon as the soldiers moved out of the road. He stared at them as we rode by.
“We need to play it cool,” I said. “Don’t get so emotional.”
“I don’t like people bossing me around,” he said.
“They’re really coming along,” Bernard noted from the back of the wagon.
“Yeah,” I said, noticing a sign that read: Sign-Up to Fight Goblins Today.
“Look,” Bernard said, pointing toward the clearing in the center of the ruins.
Dozens of tents had been set-up as temporary shelter for the villagers and soldiers.
A big bonfire crackled as we approached.
Captain Rathgar noticed us and walked over.
After Eric stopped the horses, we got out.
“Well met,” Eric said.
Captain Rathgar laughed.
“I didn’t expect to see you three again,” he said.
“Thanks for taking our wagon,” Eric said coldly.
Keep your cool, I thought and nudged him with my elbow.
Captain Rathgar—fully decked out in purple armor—stood and looked down his nose at us.
“We’re at war,” he said. “And we need everything we’ve got to destroy the goblins once and for all.”
Several rough and ready soldiers nearby cheered in agreement.
“How did your quest go?” Captain Rathgar asked.
“We’ve got the Dawn Acid,” Eric said.
“That’s fantastic,” Captain Rathgar said. “We should celebrate your victory.”
“Our quest isn’t finished yet,” I said. “We still need to find and destroy the Cursed Pendant of Visions.”
“You don’t plan on doing that tonight, do you?” he asked then laughed; the other soldiers joined him.
“No,” I said. “But it’s too early for celebration. We’re heading to the Forbidden Kingdom, and we need to be ready.”
Captain Rathgar and the others quieted down.
“You’re going to the Forbidden Kingdom?” he asked.
I nodded then asked, “Why?”
He put his hands on his hips and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Eric asked.
Captain Rathgar shook his head.
“You three are something else,” he said. “How do you propose two humans and an elf sneak into the Forbidden Kingdom?”
“We’ve got a plan,” I said, not offering details.
I’m still wasn’t sure if we could trust the man completely.
“You have a plan?” Captain Rathgar asked then laughed again. “I suppose you’ll need our help with this plan of yours?”
I shook my head.
“Nope,” I said. “We’ve got it covered.”
He nodded solemnly.
“Very well,” he said. “But tonight, we celebrate.”
I turned to Eric and whispered, “This isn’t a good idea.”
“We’ll be fine,” he said. “We’ve been riding hard for days. A little relaxation will do us good. Maybe we’ll find a soldier who wants to join us.”
I took a deep breath, not liking the idea.
“Okay,” I said. “But one of us needs to watch the Dawn Acid.”
“We will,” Eric said. “Don’t worry so much.”
He stepped toward Captain Rathgar.
“Will there be drinking?” Bernard asked.
Captain Rathgar nodded and said, “Of course.”
“I’ll stay with the wagon,” I said.
“Thanks,” Eric said. “We’ll come back and get you soon.”
“Don’t bother. Charlotte and I will be okay.”
I watched the three of them head toward a group of men eating and drinking by a brick oven they’d built in the center of the city.
We’ve come this far, I thought as I walked back to the wagon. They better not screw this up so close to the end of our quest.
After climbing into the back, I laid down with my hand on the clay jar full of Dawn Acid and closed my eyes. Some sleep would be nice.
“Let me know if anyone comes,” I said.
“I’m on the job,” Charlotte answered.
As she climbed down—then off my arm for a better vantage point—I let my mind wander in a thousand different directions.
13
CUT SCENE
I’ll Take Nerds Over Crazy
* * *
Magi Inyontoo
* * *
I stared and stood in front of the magic mirror in my study at the Chong Monastery. When the clouds parted, I saw Josh in the reflection. He smiled and raised a huge, half-orc hand in greeting.
“Can you hear me?” he asked.
“Loud and clear,” I said, pleased with my latest creation. “Almost can’t believe it’s working so well.”
“You’ve got me convinced you’re our best way out of the game.” Josh looked to his left then back at me. “Any news on that?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “But we’re closer. The pendant is charging still. But with more dead players, it’ll go faster. Any news on killing your friends?”
Josh shook his head.
“Not yet,” he said. “But I’m close.”
“I don’t think the others I sent to kill them could finish the job, so I’m counting on you. If I can’t talk to them in private then we’re not getting out of here, and I can’t convince them to stop working against us.”
“Understood,” Josh said. “I should get going.”
He looked to his left again.
“Is someone there with you?” I asked.
“No,” he said.
I stared into his eyes.
Was he lying?
“Report in when you know something,” I said.
He grimaced then said, “I’m trying my best.”
“Let me know the minute you kill them. I’ll need to meet them in the tower. Can you do that for me?”
“You’ll be the first to know,” he said. “I’ve got to go.”
He stepped to his left. Clouds filled the mirror. Something was different about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Eddie’s all too familiar yap announced his presence.
“Any news?” he asked as he barged in.
I turned and frowned.
“No,” I said. “What do you want?”
&n
bsp; “This whole Magictology thing is a bit over the top,” he said. “Can’t we tell everyone the truth about this place?”
“Are you nuts?” I shook my head. “You don’t remember what happened last time, do you?”
“I got killed early,” he said. “And was trapped in the tower all by myself. That was messed up.”
“You had it easy…” My voice trailed off as memories of the great happening hit me.
“I’m just saying your plan isn’t really working,” Eddie said. “You need to let me help more. I’ve got a good head on my shoulders.”
“A good dog-head,” I said then snickered.
He yapped twice and pulled his blade.
“Say it again,” he shouted. “I dare you.”
I waved my hand, causing him to freeze.
“Calm down,” I said. “You can’t kill me.”
“I’d love to kill you,” he said.
“Exactly…” I shook my head. “What do you want?”
“Rizzo, Sylvar, and the others failed,” he said. “They just came through the portal downstairs, and they want to talk to you.”
I waved my hand to release him from the hold spell.
“Come on,” I said. “This is partly your fault too, I imagine.”
I stopped beside the doorway and turned, waiting for him. He trotted then hopped down the stairs; I followed, hating his incompetence.
At the bottom of the stairway, I emerged on the stage. Rizzo and Sylvar stood next to the portal—yelling at each other.
“Where are the others?” I asked as I walked toward them.
They stopped arguing and turned to face me.
“I don’t know,” Rizzo said.
“And I don’t care,” Sylvar added.
I stopped and shook my head to shame them.
“All you needed to do was kill a few low-level newbies,” I said.
“They’re smart,” Rizzo said. “They overpowered us.”
Sylvar stroked his chiseled elven chin.
“They outsmarted us because Eddie sent us out with the wrong equipment,” he said, pointing an accusatory finger.
“It’s not my fault,” Eddie said as he stood on my left side.
